The best things to do in Beijing this weekend

Your weekend guide to the best of Beijing

As we head into Golden Week, we've got something for everyone. Whether you're working this weekend or gearing up for a week off (or another week of work, boo), check out our round-up of some of Beijing's best events.

Jing A Brewpub Anniversary

Jing A Brewpub Xingfucun. Fri 28. 

This Friday, celebrate Jing A's Xingfucun Brewpub turning one year old. For those with 8x8 tickets already, get a free welcome pint of Flying Fist IPA. Order any BBQ meat and get a free shot of bourbon, or get four free shots with a carnivore platter. Finally, everyone can enjoy an all-night happy hour, with new beers Über-Jing Oktoberfest and Beijing Kush IPA launching.

AFL Grand Final Viewing

Image: Jimmy Harris via Flickr

Caravan. 12.30pm. Sat 29. 250RMB; 200RMB (presale). 

Australian football – this might be the first time you've ever heard of the sport, but there's no better time to get into it than this weekend, as the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL) takes place, with Melbourne club Collingwood taking on Perth's West Coast Eagles. Head down to Caravan to join the action with our city's own esteemed footy team, the Beijing Bombers. Entry includes finger food and two free drinks; the game starts at 12.30pm, but get there before 11.30am to really enjoy the build-up and pre-game fun. It would be un-Australian not to.

Book talk: Cities in Science Fiction

The Bookworm. Fri 28. 50RMB (with one free drink). 

The Danish author Kaspar Colling Nielsen talks science-fiction cities at The Bookworm this Friday. From Copenhagen to Beijing, he explores the worlds created in literature and how they relate to our modern day metropolises. Can the imagined living spaces of a possible future help us realise what we need in our lives now? To book a seat, scan the QR code below.

Midnight in Peking Walking Tour

Unspecified venue. Sat 29. 388RMB. 

Paul French's New York Times-bestselling murder mystery captured imaginations across the world when it was released. Now, with the help of historian Lars Ulrick Thom, Bespoke brings 1930s Peking back to life through a walking tour like no other. As night falls, you'll follow in the footsteps of the victim's father, ETC Werner, as he frantically searched for his daughter, and learn about the shady characters implicated in her killing.

Antipop

Dada. Sun 30. 60RMB; 80RMB (after midnight).

French DJ and founding member of Télépopmusik heads to Asia with a Sunday night stop in Beijing. Join him for an evening of downtempo house and get up close to one of the creators of the Grammy-nominated track 'Breathe'.

Suanpan's First Anniversary

Zhao Dai. Sun 30. 50RMB.

Kicking off the Golden Week festivities with a night of celebration, Boflex, Juhstynn and Tanner play together once more for an evening (and morning) of house and techno beats.

Asian Power

Mix. Sat 29-Sun 30. 260RMB; 200RMB (presale).

The two-day Asian Power rap fest brings some of the best of China and its surrounds to the capital, with old-time Beijing bunch Longjing on the bill, plus US-based Al Rocco, a former Rap of China contestant who was booted off in the show's first round – probably a good thing for him, according to some Beijing MCs.

Noisemaker

Mao Livehouse Wukesong. Fri 28. 260RMB; 150RMB (presale); 380RMB (VIP).

Noisemaker, an alternative nu-metal band from Sapporo, have been mixing rock, metal and hip-hop from their inception. Their first success was reached with the release of their debut LP The 6 matters of the 6 in 2009, and now they head to Beijing to perform at Mao Livehouse Wukesong.

Time Out 50: Covers Exhibition

Beijing Quanyechang Cultural Arts Center. Until Oct 7. Free. 

Over the years, Time Out's magazines have seen countless fantastic cover designs – some groundbreaking, some risqué, some fronted by world-famous stars – and to celebrate this half-century in the game, we're going to be showing off just a few of the best. Some of the most memorable covers from London's 50 years in print are on show, as well as a look back at our own 14 years in action here in Beijing.

Tim Eitel

Pace Beijing. Sep 29-Nov 10. Free. 

German artist Tim Eitel paints beautifully composed figurative works produced from clandestinely taken photographs. Combining technical realism with the detachment of a gaze always on the outside, he voices the contemporary human experience in quiet muted tones. This exhibition will showcase the artist’s thought-provoking and ongoing exploration into 'interior space, memory and perception.'

The Heart-Mind Learns from the Eyes

Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Until Nov 25. 60RMB.

Based in Beijing, Michael Cherney is a successful painter, photographer, illustrator and calligrapher. Using scenes and landscapes from around China, Cherney creates a world on paper that blends both America and China, modern and traditional. His intricate and delicate work promotes introspection, and the latest exhibition in Beijing will provide a space for thought and meditation.

Ash is Purest White

Trailer via QQ

In cinemas around Beijing now.

Jia Zhangke's romantic epic of gangsters premiered at Cannes to critical acclaim and now finally gets a China release. The story follows Qiao, who is in love with Bin, a local mobster. When a fight erupts between rival gangs, Qiao finds herself involved, firing a shot to protect the man she loves. After five years in prison for her brashly loyal move, she re-enters the world in search of Bin.

Shadow

Trailer via QQ

In cinemas around Beijing from Sun 30.

Set during China's Three Kingdoms era, Shadow is a heavily stylised martial arts period drama. The film brings traditional ink paintings and fighting sequences together into a visually stunning epic.

Death Wish

Trailer via QQ

In cinemas around Beijing now.

Having been assigned a score of one star out of five by our friends at Time Out New York, Death Wish is a film that's so bad it's almost good. Or just straight-up bad. Watch Bruce Willis take on Charles Bronson's infamous role as a meek-family-man-turned-stony-avenger and make your own mind up. 

Cats

Century Theatre. Until Oct 7. 100-1,080RMB. 

Based on TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running musical Cats is set in a larger-than-life junkyard playground that's home to a variety of feline characters. With spectacular sets, breathtaking choreography and of course, the hit song 'Memory', Cats is a musical like no other.

Stomp

Poly Theatre. Until Oct 5. 180-780RMB. 

Matchboxes, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters and more fill the stage with energising beats at Stomp, the inventive and invigorating stage show that's dance, music and theatrical performance blended together in one electrifying rhythm.

Gottlieb Wallisch

Art Centre of the National Library. Sun 30. 100-380RMB. 

Having become the youngest student at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at the ripe old age of six, Gottlieb Wallisch went on to become internationally renowned for his interpretations of Viennese piano traditions. Coming to Beijing this week, he puts his award-winning fingers to work as he performs his unique and beautiful take on the classics.

For more great things to do in Beijing this weekend, hit 'Read more'.

You might have missed

More from Time Out Beijing

Check out our latest issue